Writings By Vinni

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  • Future Travel Plans

    Daily writing prompt
    What are your future travel plans?
    View all responses

    In the immediate future, we will be traveling to Lake George, NY for the annual Adirondack National Car Show.  We make this trip every year.  Lake George has become our second home.  The show brings in close to 20,000 cars or better.  Registration for this event sells out in less than 10 minutes once it opens.  Cars from all over the country participate in this show.  The show itself is hosted by the Fort William Henry hotel.  Cars are parked on their lawns throughout the weekend.  Weather conditions have always been full of sunshine with temperatures hovering in the 70s – 80s range.  Spectators can walk through to admire the cars and learn about the car’s history.  I love to take pictures of these cars.  The restoration work on many of the car is gorgeous!  Cars that are not entered in the show still come up for the festivities.  Those cars are parked both sides of the main street in the village.  Tourists and spectators will walk throughout the village to shop in the shops, grab a bite to eat and still marvel at the beautiful cars.  The organizers of the event also have an expo in the park where owners and spectators can shop for their car needs.  The park is even filled with the overflow of the participant’s cars.  On Friday and Saturday nights, the main street in Lake George village is closed off because the cars that are entered in the show can cruise up and down the street for spectators to see.  Police are on hand to ensure that everyone is safe and burnouts are not performed.  Some of the owners will add props just for cruising.  Lights, stuffed animals, and flags to name a few.  On Saturday night, the event ends with a beautiful display of fireworks.  The fireworks show is done over the lake itself allowing everyone to see the show without obstacles obscuring their view.  A show for all to enjoy is definitely worth the trip! 

  • Modern Society Needs Change

    Daily writing prompt
    What would you change about modern society?
    View all responses

    Modern Society as we know it today is politically and financially driven.  People who are in a leadership role tend to abuse it for the power, greed and fortune.  Never once realizing it can come back to haunt them.  Karma!  Therefore, the change I would like to see is to restore our leadership to where they are held accountable for their choices and their actions.  Elected officials are sworn in to uphold the constitution.  They should be sworn in to uphold the rules in the moral capacity.  Today’s leaders are ruthless in the name of power and greed.  They will stop at nothing to get what they want or to put the needs of other influential people instead of the people who elected them in office.  We need our leaders to care about us!  We need our leaders to stop robbing from us to pay for those who enter the country illegally.  Leaders must manage budgets effectively to avoid burdening taxpayers. Leaders must write the laws that comply or mirror our constitution.  Leaders must also put God first.  Sadly, the American dream is no more.   Gone are the days when we trusted our leaders and America was the country that was feared around the world.  Gone are the days when authority was respected.  We shouldn’t be silenced out of fear of “offending” anyone as we are all entitled to our own opinions and beliefs.  The America of yesterday needs to come back and put us back on track.  The America of yesterday with the leaders who were morally sound and cared about the people.  Can we ever get those days back?  Only time will tell. 

  • Dream Thief

    2:30 am.  Night was eerily dark.  I looked out the window expecting to see something.  Nothing.  I am alone in the darkness seething with fury.  I was awakened by an alert on my phone.  It was my best friend telling me to look at the Best Seller’s list right away.  I’m awake now so I turn on the computer to check the list as it had my friend deeply concerned!  I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Once again, my dream turned into a best-selling novel, and I didn’t write it!  The author of this book was my husband!  This is the third book in which he wrote based off MY dreams!  I confided in my husband when the dreams I was having was concerning me.  I even contemplated getting help as some were recurring nightmares.  My husband betrayed me again!  The man I married, whom I thought I could trust, betrayed me.  My privacy was violated.  My trust shattered.  I didn’t have to go far to confront him as he was still sleeping upstairs! 

    Questions plagued my mind?  How did he do it?  He was at work all day.  He was never on a computer at home.  Why would he do this to me?  He knew I was writing to evaluate these dreams of mine with the hopes of turning them into a book of short stories.  He’s turning the dreams into best selling novels!  Where were the payments/royalties from these books?  Certainly not in our joint bank accounts!  Where was he stashing the funds?  The more I thought about this, the angrier I got.  No, not angry.  Hurt.  Hurt that he would betray me.  Hurt that he felt he had to hide funds from me.  Hurt that he felt he couldn’t trust me enough to share what he was doing. 

    He got up from his chair and went to a drawer and opened it.  He pulled out an envelope.  Before he gave it to me, he calmly explained that he saw me struggling with writing about my dreams.  He used my dreams to create these novels and said that three books was more than enough for what he wanted to accomplish. “I’m sorry.  I never meant to hurt you!  I love you!”  He handed me the envelope and told me to open it.  Inside were airline and cruise tickets.  Confused.  “What is this?”  “I promised you on our wedding night forty years ago that I would take you on your dream vacation.  Just the two of us.  Our children are grown and gone.  Now seems to be the perfect time to surprise you.  We’re going to celebrate our anniversary with this trip.  I love you, Baby!  I wanted to honor that promise I made years ago and to see parts of the world with the love of my life.  My wife!”  Tears filled my eyes as my anger and hurt had subsided.  Shaking, I tried to apologize for my behavior but he wouldn’t hear it.  Instead, he held me in his arms, kissed my head and said that we leave in three weeks for our promised adventure.  Not letting me go, he gave me an extra squeeze.  “I didn’t steal your dreams, Honey.  I merely borrowed them to get our trip planned and paid for to surprise you without touching our household budget.  We get our promised adventure and we never have to worry about finances for there is plenty more waiting for us when we get back.”  I looked up at him.  He looked at me and said “I love you!”    

  • What Foods to Make

    What foods would you like to make?

    Ooh, this is a loaded prompt!  I love to cook and  bake.  I’m often exerimenting with new recipes and my husband loves to be the official taste tester.  I love making my favorite  pasta dishes.  Traditional spaghetti, lasagna, baked ziti and others.  I switch between frozen meatballs and making my own.  I enjoy making my own homemade sauce too.  Hubby loves the homemade sauce  and meatballs.  He gets excited  when he sees me prepping to either of them.  I am Italian and grew  up with these comfort food dishes. 

    I also enjoy making casseroles and other dishes  that are easy to freeze for a later time.  I even make egg  bites or other breakfast casseroles to freeze for that quick breakfast during our work week.  In the summer time, hubby loves to grill.  While he is grilling, I’m making the sides to go with his grilled meats. 

    For baking, I have  done it all and love the smell of fresh baked breads, cookies, cakes, and more.  Those are easy enough to add to our lunches for the work week too! 

    However, today, I am still experimenting with new recipes to meet our dietary restrictions.  My husbnd is on a low sodium diet and I am on a low carb diet.  I’ve been learning to make swaps of ingredients  to combat  this challenge with suprising results!  There hasn’t been a dish that  my husband doesn’t like.  I also have all the possible kitchen gadgets and I do use them all.  I call myself the kitchen gadget whore.  What I have learned over the years, is how to cook with love.  I have a husband that appreciates my efforts.  When my kitchen is filled with my family, I love  to dote on them with my culinary skills. They also appreciate my efforts.  Excuse me, I believe my oven is calling me to make some cupcakes! 

  • Definitely the Dogs

    Daily writing prompt
    Dogs or cats?
    View all responses

    Dogs are my preference.  Don’t misunderstand, I love cats!  I grew up loving cats more than dogs.  However, when I moved in with my husband, I could no longer own a cat due to his allergies.  Dogs it was and still is.  Our first dog was a chocolate Cocker Spaniel.  Lady lived to be 12.5 years and she was a great dog in providing her owners love and protection.  Her barks would scare off any bears that wandered into our yard.  She was loyal and wouldn’t tolerate any animals in our yard.  Our yard was her territory and she protected it fiercely.  When we go out, we can assume we would find her looking out the living room window just watching for us to come home.  A simple “Daddy’s home!”  would send her in a tailspin.  Excited to see her Daddy, you can barely see her tail as she was wagging it so hard and fast.  Her ashes are with us in our living room.  Her favorite room in the house!  We do miss her terribly but we also believe she wouldn’t want us to grieve.  Instead, we believe she led us to our current dog. 

    A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, we named Jax.  The King Charles Spaniels are beautiful dogs with such a loving personality.  Jax is just a fierce as Lady was in protecting us from wildlife running in our yards – including the bears.  As with Lay’s potato chips, we couldn’t stop at just one.  2 years later, we brought Buddy home.  Jax was uncertain at first but his love grew for his brother.  He even growled at me to protect Buddy when I was disciplining him for his accident in the house.    They share the same bed at night.  They go to the vet and groomer’s together.  Cannot separate them for any reason.  There are times when they will both try to claim my lap at night.  Jax is the lover and Buddy is the snuggler.  Both are adoring.  Both are loving.  Both have those eyes that just melts you. Lady watching from above, knew exactly what she was doing when we first were introduced to this special breed.   Our boys.  We wouldn’t have it any other way.  Dogs rule! 

  • Simple Man

    1. Wonderful Tonight, Eric. Clapton
    2. Simple Man, Lynyrd Skynyrd
    3. Where Were You, When the World Stopped Turning, Alan Jackson
    4. Daddy’s Hands, Holly Dunn
    5. God Bless the USA, Lee Greenwood

    In today’s writing assignment, we were to list 5 songs (soundtracks) that were pivotal in our lives. All five of these songs have a special meaning to me. 

    However, one that stands out the most is Simple Man.  The lyrics were moving; in that these words were pieces of advice that I wanted to share with my son.  When he was old enough to understand. 

                “Mama told me, when I was young.  Come sit beside me, my only son.  Listen closely to what I say.  And if you do this, it’ll help you some sunny day.”

    I first heard this song, in its entirety, years ago when I was a teenager as with the band’s other songs.  When I gave birth to my firstborn.  My son.  I remembered these words sung in my head as he slept in his hospital crib.  My son, once a teenager, understood the lyrics of how I wanted him to shape his life.  Be simple, proud, and don’t be afraid of the hard work to achieve goals.

    ” Oh, take your time, don’t live too fast. Troubles will come and they will pass. You’ll find a woman, yeah, and you’ll find love, and don’t forget son, there is someone up above.”

    My son lived and still does live his life with these words in mind.  He joined the veterinary field as a technician because of his love for animals.  He enjoys simple things of fishing as his hobby.  He loves taking his well-trained dogs for rides and runs through an open field.  He chose to listen to the “advice” I was giving him through a song. 

                “Be a simple kind of man.  Be something, you love and understand.  Won’t you do this for me, if you can.” 

    This song was the song of choice for wise advice and to be played at his wedding.  My son chose this song for his mother & son dance.  I was stunned when I heard the first few notes as he led me to the dance floor.  The song.  The meaning.  The advice.  The lifestyle.  A special song that only my son and I share with hearts filled with love. 

  • Lose Track of Time

    Daily writing prompt
    Which activities make you lose track of time?
    View all responses

    There are several things that can cause us to lose track of time.  First and foremost, would be social media use.  Our eyes are glued to the screens of our cellphone, scrolling through the social media feeds.  Some of us have accounts on several social media platforms.  Within these accounts, you could choose to play a game.  That lone game can consume quite a bit of your time, distracting you from the important things in life.  When my husband and I go out to eat, it amazes us that people are on their phones instead of talking with each other.  Parents will give their kids the phones instead of having family conversations or keeping their kids quiet in a restaurant.  We made it a rule to never take out our phones until after we have finished our meal or when we leave the restaurant.  It is important to us that we give each other our utmost attention.  Our marriage deserves our attention to keep it thriving. It works! Social media, emails, and other apps keep us glued.  Technology made this happen for our phones are mini, portable computers that can be taken anywhere.  Heaven help us if we lose our phones.  We get flustered and begin to panic until our phone is found!  How many of us can go more than 2 hours without looking at their phones for any reason?  We can’t.   Technology lured and sucked us in.  We’re in it for the long haul.  Just like the words of Hotel California:

                “We are programmed to receive.  You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!” 

    Another thing that can cause us to lose track of time is a good book!  I’ve read so many books where I have literally ignored everything else in order to find out what happens next!  I cannot read just one chapter of a novel and then put it down.  I need to keep reading as the scene is played in my mind like a movie.  Authors like Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Debbie MacComber, and Lucy Score (to name a few) write such fascinating stories and those stories can spill over a trilogy.  Gotta finish the first book to see what happens in the second book.  You get the idea.  These authors are masters in their craft.  They do inspire me to try my hand at writing a novel! 

  • Walls of My Kitchen

    If the walls could talk.  What a tale they could tell after listening to the many conversations that were held at the kitchen table.  The kitchen table.  Guarding the secrets, squeaking to laugh with us.  The kitchen table is where it hosts the many gatherings over the years from everyday meals to the special holiday meals.  The kitchen table is a welcoming invitation to come sit for a spell, drink some coffee and feel the warmth of the love flowing throughout the room.  My kitchen table often becomes the focal point of where I do some crafting and it can also become my study place.  Whatever is happening at the table, I can always count on my two pups lying by my feet. 

    The kitchen.  It’s the one room in my home that shaped me to the person I am today.   I love to cook and bake in my kitchen.  I cook and bake with love.  My husband is the recipient of my efforts and adores being the official taste tester of any new recipe I try.   I never experienced this feeling with my first husband.  My 2nd and current husband has always encouraged me to expand my horizons in anything that I do.  Cooking and baking is no exception!  I am one that adores cooking and baking.  I love to experiment with new recipes and accept those challenges of keeping within the dietary restrictions that my husband and I both have.  Simple swaps of ingredients help me achieve this goal of a low sodium for my husband and low carbs for me.  I love my kitchen being filled with family over the holidays and I love to dote on them with my culinary skills.  My husband takes over the cooking of the main entrée for the holidays where I work on the side dishes.  Together, we make a good team!  I love the aroma of baked bread or baked fruit desserts.  I also enjoy the aroma of the various casseroles I make in the winter time.  When I make my own spaghetti sauce, the aroma fills the entire house with the combinations of spices that I put into it.  My kitchen is large enough to house all the special kitchen gadgets.  Trust me, I have them all and I do use them all!  Nothing like gathering at the table over a delicious meal and conversation with great company.  My kitchen – the most used room and our most favorite room in the house. 

  • Small Town Visit

    In a writing class that I am doing, the prompt we were given was to writing about visiting a small town where it had one rule and the consequences of breaking the rule. This was my story.

    Visiting the small town of Constance Brie, I am in awe at such a cute and charming town.  I learned the population is 1,500.  Quite small but big on hospitality and generosity.  Their general store reflected as much when you step inside.  Shelves held items such as local maple syrup, homemade baked treats, newspapers, freshly brewed coffee, and a deli to boot!  In front of the cash register, there were various penny candies for the kids.  Kids had household chores to earn their allowance to spend on these candies. The general store and other store fronts were adorned with seasonal flowers or plants.  Neatly cared for.  People knew each other and they knew of each other’s hardships and happiness.  They supported each other.  One lone police officer patrols the entire town and will respond to any calls.  No hospital but an infirmary where people can go to get treatment for minor ailments.  Sounds like my kind of town to live in myself.  However, there was only one rule that everyone had to abide by.  No technology!  No cellphones, no computers, no tablets.  They had to live without them.  Residents must write their letters in long hand.  They must write out paper checks to pay their bills.  No technology meant no streaming TV or internet.  Their TVs would only get 3 channels by way of the neighboring city.  Through these channels, residents got their news, their weather, and their entertainment shows.  Once a week, they would be treated to a movie on their TV – Saturday Night Special.  Oftentimes, these movies were made for families.  Their stores were a cash only store.  No debit or credit cards.  Some residents kept a running tab in the general store.  They would settle their tab on any given pay day.  Anyone who was caught violating this rule, there was a consequence of spending 24 hours in a holding cell.  Twelve hours if you were a minor.  The amenities you had in the cell was a toilet and sink.  No books to read or letters to write.  You were alone with your thoughts.  Such horror to spend time away from your family and friends in a lonely cell.  One rule.  One rule for a town to abide by in order to keep their peace and harmony in their way of simple living.

  • What bothers Me & Why

    The one thing that bothers me the most is why there seems to be no respect. No courtesy. No niceness. In today’s world, we are consumed with hatred, racism, and division. Violence stems from those three. Gone are the days where we knew and helped our neighbors and chatting with them over the fence or our property lines. Gone are the days where we respected those in authority. Policemen, teachers, and others in a stature that commands our respect. We are also consumed by those who feel entitled. Who feel everything should be given to them. If they don’t get way, possible violence stems from it. Then those who work feel like their work is in vain for they have to give it away to those that are entitled. Another divide. Riots all over the country, gang violence, and more. Makes me turn off the news so I don’t hear the hatred, hostility that it spews. What bothers me the most is we live in a world that doesn’t seem to have any peace.